1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental care instruments and more particularly, to a toothbrush with a refillable toothpaste chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
The act of brushing one's teeth with a toothbrush is one commonly known to all and is necessary to maintain good dental hygiene. However, there is, and has been, many problems associated with brushing one's teeth using this arrangement. Perhaps the biggest of these problems is that it is necessary to always have both the toothbrush and the toothpaste in one's possession before beginning the act of brushing one's teeth. This may pose a problem especially during travel, where one may forget one or the other, or space may be at a premium with regards to bringing along personal care appliances.
The previous art consists of many examples to aid in the act of brushing one's teeth. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,377, issued in the name of Martinez, Jr. et al., a toothbrush with integral pump bellows pre-filled with toothpaste is disclosed. This invention suffers from the fact that the consumer is limited to the toothpaste that is supplied with the toothbrush. Clearly this is not acceptable to those users who use more than the average amount of toothpaste and are forced to dispose of the toothbrush while it is still in satisfactory shape. Adversely, those users who wear out the toothbrush before the toothpaste is depleted suffer monetary losses as the remaining toothpaste is wasted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,014 issued in the name of Moussa, an apparatus for dispensing of toothpaste internally through the handle of a toothbrush is disclosed. A problem associated with an apparatus made in accordance with this disclosure is that the user has no control over the flow of the toothpaste and must rely on the force of gravity to pull the toothpaste from within the handle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,287, issued in the name of Braun et al., a toothbrush with a pressurized toothpaste container is disclosed. This invention utilizes pressurized gas to force the toothpaste out. This arrangement relies on complex mechanical features and is not cost effective for the limited lifetime of toothbrushes. Additionally, an apparatus manufactured in accordance with this disclosure forces the consumer to use only toothpaste that is packaged in pre-pressurized containers or is available for pressurization after purchase by the final consumer. Once again this limits the consumer to the type of toothpaste used.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,156, issued in the name of Gipson, a combination dental device is disclosed. This device, while containing a refillable toothpaste cartridge, does not resemble a conventional toothbrush. This fact may lead to resistance to purchase such a device on the pail of the consumer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,641, issued in the name of Grosfilley et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,959, issued in the name of Hallahon, disposable toothbrushes are disclosed. While such disclosures possess an internal charge of toothpaste, it is a one time charge only and is designed to be disposed after a single use. While such inventions may prove useful for emergencies or during short travel periods, it is not cost effective for daily use or during periods of extended travel, as the space required to carry the necessary number of disposable toothbrushes would be great.
In U.S. Pat. 4,583,563, issued in the name of Turner, a toothbrush with a replaceable cartridge is disclosed. This disclosure suffers; from the same disadvantage as the Braun et al. disclosure aforementioned described. That is, the consumer is limited to toothpaste that is available or is packaged in the disposable cartridge on a per unit basis by the final customer.
In U.S. Pat. No.4,265,560, issued in the name of Spica, another disposable toothbrush is disclosed. While an invention made in accordance with this disclosure allows for more than use, the uses are of a fairly limited number and once again the consumer is forced to use the type of toothpaste that is packaged with the toothbrush and not necessarily the type of toothpaste the customer usually uses.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,349, issued in the name of Del Bon, a toothbrush which carries its own charge of toothpaste is disclosed. While an invention made in accordance with this disclosure allows for the consumer to utilize their preferred brand of toothpaste, it comprises many individual pieces and is not suitable for a cost-effective product produced by mass production methods. The multitude of pieces along with the tight tolerances involved do not allow for ease of cleaning nor continuous operation without clogging.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,635, issued in the name of The-Sheng, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,648, issued in the name of Kuryla, and U.S. Pat. No, 637,522, issued in the name of McGinnis, toothbrushes which allow the customer to utilize their own toothpaste are disclosed. However, a disadvantage associated with these disclosures is that the user must dissemble the toothbrushes to refill them. This exposes many internal components coated with the previous charge of toothpaste and presents the user with an unwieldy assortment of components that lead to contamination when set down during the disassembly and reassembly process.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,441,520, issued in the name of Ulvick, a toothbrush with its own charge of pre-supplied toothpaste in the handle is disclosed. The user however is forced to rotate the handle with relation to the head to dispense toothpaste and then rotate it to the other direction to use it. This factor may not be acceptable during use as the act of brushing one's teeth may place rotational forces on the handle of the toothbrush thus causing it to inadvertently operate. Additionally, once again the user is forced to use whatever toothpaste is supplied with the toothbrush.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a device and method which overcomes the problems cited above.